As UK food banks hit a new record, cuts to working benefits coupled with rising inflation are leaving more and more working families struggling to meet the basic costs of living. In one of the world’s richest nations it is absolutely scandalous that an increasing number of low income citizens are being forced to use food

Local Authorities and Housing Associations across the UK can now access a brand new solution to help many more low income renters find new homes and save public funds, through The Ark Passport. Did you know that UK councils have spent £3.5 billion on temporary housing over the last 5 years? With the introduction of Universal Credit

I recently read in HMO Landlady’s book about how she has to knock on nearly all her tenant’s doors every week for their rent money – she wrote this in 2012, not 1912! No doubt Serena wishes she could simply have the rent appear in her account (in common with most other landlords) and no doubt her tenants wish for a more convenient means of paying their rent than having their landlord knocking on their door every Saturday morning when they’d rather relax or lie in after a hard week working and dealing with the stress of their complicated

Following on from Benefit Street, and the headline story about the Ferguson’s serving notice on their tenants on Local Housing Allowance, we need to have an honest and balanced debate about benefits, in a similar fashion to Nick Robinson’s The Truth About Immigration. Although it seems that in today’s multi cultural Britain, we are far

The DWP has been slammed by a cross-party committee regarding a ‘shocking lack of financial control’ over the governments ‘flagship’ Universal Credit programme. Universal Credit, which aims to roll several benefits into one single payment made direct to the claimant, has been scrutinised by The Public Accounts Committee – saying that any deadlines for the

The Government is launching its next phase of its new benefits system ( Universal Credit ) in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham today. It seeks to simplify the existing system by combining 6 benefits into 1, but opponents say it is misleading and will increase debt, mass evictions and homelessness. Many landlords within

Landlords in the North West are complaining about poor communication from the Department for Work and Pensions, via the “flagship” welfare reform trials. Welfare reform, via Universal Credit, is currently being trialled in Ashton-under-Lyne, Wigan, Warrington and Oldham – where benefits are merged into a single payment made direct to the claimant. Many landlords within

Tenants in South Wales taking part in a trial of the UK government’s benefits reforms have seen rent arrears rise seven-fold to £140,000 in seven months. Landlords in the pilot area of Torfaen are now warning evictions could increase if the trend continues, once Universal Credit goes live this October. The first group of Torfaen

Details of the Government’s new procedures for the payment of Universal Credit were released on Friday 22nd June, here and here, which confirm that the landlord’s right to insist on direct rent payments if a tenant is in arrears will be abolished. When the Universal Credit system goes live, in October 2013, payments will be